Thursday, January 23, 2014

Wow. You called me an extremist. While at the same time you compare Jews to Cossaks and KKK. To the best of my recollection both of those groups indiscriminately killed. I don't know of too many Jews who have done so. Certainly not those who you are attacking.

I have also decried so-called 'price-tag attacks.' There is no justification to burn down a Mosque or paint graffiti on Moslem holy places. But Cossacks. Do you remember what Cossacks did in Kishinev? And you dare to compare?

It must be noted that there is proof of Arabs destroying their own property and writing such phrases as Price –Tag (in Hebrew) on their own land.

But let's leave that for a moment.

You attacked my article about Ariel Sharon. So, first of all, I do not retract one work that I wrote. Perhaps I have one regret, that being that my words were not harsher.

You are upset that I called Sharon a monster.

So, if you will, Mr. Leibler, please take a few moments to read the following, written in Hebrew, by Rabbi Yigal Kirshenzaft. Perhaps you remember the name. He was a Chabad Rabbi in Gush Katif. He was shot and nearly killed. His recovery was miraculous.

Suddenly, and without prior notice, Miriam burst into tears uncontrollably . It happened at noon today at the spices store. Well, this is not really a store , there are no shops at Nitzan . This container was placed "illegally '' and became a store for selling peanuts .

"For every resident there will be a solution," said Israeli residents in television commercials , the twisted brainchild of the '' ranch '' . Until now, no established commercial center as had been promised for Nitzan : not one shop , one factory or one job . Do not think that the government is lazy. Threatening letters , demolition orders, threats, police are sent regularly to the hundreds of displaced in delicate flimsy mobile structures. Once upon a time they would come and repair the problems. "Do not ask what we are going thru" said Miriam to my wife, when she met her at the 'store' and was with tears : "My husband suffers from extreme diabetes since the expulsion. They chopped off one leg and we are fighting to save the other. We went to a private doctor which costs 3600 Nis per visit, to save his leg. We were there many times, but now we ran out of money and nobody helps us . The doctor told my husband that everything is caused 'from the head' , from the depression . What is there to do ? "

Yud Shvat . A historic date of Chabad history . For the past ten years, Chabad House of Gush Katif organizes the meeting for Yud Shvat with a memorial service held by the Ohayon family. The father Rabbi Avraham came from Yeruham to Neve Dekalim many years ago . He was privileged, R. Abraham , that his children and grandchildren lived around - because five of his children made their homes also in Gush Katif. On this date, 10 years ago, he heard Sharon 's announcement about the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif. He collapsed and his heart stopped. Z"L (may his memory be blessed) . More precisely : HY"D. (May G-d Avenge his blood).

So many good people, our friends died from sorrow and heartbreak . This week we buried another member of Nitzan . Yisrael, z"l . Came from France and settled in Neve Dekelim with his large family . Since immigrating to Israel he would not leave. Heroes and generals seemed to him to be angels . The greater the appreciation, the greater the fall. Israel built a '' permanent '' home in Nitzan but did not recovered from the expulsion. Z"L HY"D.

According to the Ministry of Health, serious injury and deaths among expelled are twice the national average. Maybe this is what they meant, the heads of state, saying that the problems of the deportees are resolved . Deceased, they meant.

After the expulsion, they threw us in to the hotel for two weeks. We were there for seven months. We were promised up to two years in a mobile home (hell in the summer.) Today hundreds of families are tormented, still living in dilapidated, flammable buildings that the law prohibits human beings to live in.

Successors of the ''ranch forum'' devised an ingenious invention: move the mobile communities to the ''permanent communities'' . But they still have not found anyone who will violate the law and approve the integrity of these'residential structures.'

Another invention are the sewer pipes . In light of the '' peace '' that came after expulsion , Nitzan residents also suffer from rockets launched from Gush Katif . Since all of our refugee camp , which is called a Nitzan , is made of plaster and cardboard, large concrete sewer pipes were placed outside, where all the residents run to hide in during an alarm .

This week I met Avi, my best friend . His wife led him to the medical clinic in Nitzan . A large clinic , given the many needs here, it has doubled in size. Avi barely recognized me. Suffering from a terminal illness , barely even remembers his name.

I went to visit Reuben. His house is in the middle of construction , but he has no money to finish the job . The contractor fled in the middle of the work, as happened to many of his friends .

Now he is not working. His wife came down with the '' disease ''. "I have nothing to eat on Shabbat," he said. "I never request help, but I have no choice . Trips for therapies , drugs. In Gush Katif I was a king," he whined . " I helped everyone, but today I'm finished ." I left him an envelope with lots of cash. So he could buy food for Shabbat and for gas for traveling to treatments .

Chabad trys to help as much as possible , but the needs here are so great. We endeavor to fulfill the mission that the Rebbe gave us : to rejoice and delight .

Even welfare department has difficulty helping all that need, and sends the needy to charitable organizations.

This is everyday life at Nitzan . Chava came home today from hospitalization with bad diabetes. " I know that it is from nerves and anger ," she said . But what can I do ?" Her husband abandoned her , her son went to Germany and doesn't want to hear about the state that betrayed him .

This week , finally, the new school opened in Nitzan - after ten years when students have not had a normal, regular place to study. They went from a hotel room, to leaky classrooms , to a community center. They are still wallowing in the mud to get there, but thank G-d at least have a structure .

This week , unusually , there were smiling faces in the streets Nitzan . It was during Sharon 's funeral . At Synagogue it was declared : "Today we will not say supplication during prayers " !

The sad reality was caused by somebody. His name is Ariel Sharon . Right, everything that happens is determined in the heavens, but people are led in the direction they deserve to go in. It is difficult to understand how a general and military hero deteriorates so greatly; How a Jewish leader , head of state, abandoning the lives of hundreds of thousands of its citizens to save himself from prison , to absolve himself of the punishment his friend received . He was convicted and is in prison for giving him a bribe .

How evil must you be to abuse and destroy the great life of thousands of Jews and expel them , to uproot 49 dead righteous from their graves , destroying synagogues , Talmud Torah and facilities – evil acts no worse than what was done to us by those who hate us ? ? ?

This crime is very painful and unforgivable. The depth of the withdrawal should be the scope of the investigation .

One request to you Arik: Now you are in the world the truth.

Please reveal yourself to he who has replaced you as leader and update him on the mistakes you made, that he should not, G-d forbid, repeat the terrible crime of uprooting Jews from their land . Make sure from above, that the fruits of his work will not be like yours.

It should be that these are the last pains of messiah and we will soon be really true and complete redeemed and God also will return to his Bayit – Beit HaMikdash.

So now I ask you, Mr. Leibler, is he a monster? Or not? Perhaps it's me, the 'settler.' Or Rabbi Kirshenzaft, the 'Messianic Chabad fanatic?' Or all those who lived in, and were expelled from Gush Katif, because, how dare they…..

how dare they what, Mr. Leibler?

Mr. Leibler, I do not view myself as an extremist. Rather as an idealist. I don't only write my ideals, I live them. But also express them to others. I do not force anyone to think as I do, but freedom to think, to express, to believe, is a tenet of our lives as a free people.

I tend to see extremists as Hizbullah, Hamas, Fatach, Al-Qaeda, the Syrians, Iranians, and yes, also, people like Sharon, who, as an elected leader, rather than implement the ideas for which he was elected, believed in by those who voted for him, he betrayed that trust and forceed destructive policies upon his people. For his own personal reasons. For his own personal gain.

If this is not a monster, I don't know what is.

But, should it be decided that I really am an extremist, I will wear such a crown with joy and delight, proud that I may express what I believe, and what I know to be, without any doubt, truth.

I prefer this title to that of, what is called in Hebrew, a 'yafe nefesh' – translated as 'bleeding heart,' trying to find favor amongst others via condemnation, while turning a blind eye towards victims, denying truth.

I can only suggest that you look yourself in the mirror and decide for yourself, who you are, and what you are. Then, if you are truthful with yourself, maybe you'll apologize for labeling Jewish youth Cossacks.

I started today by taking a good look at the date. Sure enough, January 20. Seventeen years.

The number 17 in Hebrew numerology equals the sum of Tov – meaning good.

Good is always relative.

Seventeen years ago today, on January 20, 1997, the 'Hebron Accords,' signed a short time earlier, were implemented. Hebron was divided, leaving 97% of the city inaccessible to Jews. Over 80% of the city was abandoned to Arafat, granting him and his terrorist regime full security control over most of the city.

I remember the day very well. I had an appointment in Jerusalem. Dr. Moshe Gottlieb z"l hy"d was an expert orthopedist. A few months earlier, during a demonstration here in Hebron, a policeman literally picked me up like a rag doll and tossed me to the side. A month later my back went out. That morning I went into Jerusalem for another treatment. Dr. Gottlieb had hands of gold and his magic touch was very effective.

Five years later, Dr. Gottlieb was on a bus which exploded in Gilo, killing him and 18 others. He was on his way to give free treatment to autistic children in Jerusalem.

When I arrived back in Hebron, the city was reminiscent of a three-ring circus. But not a happy one, at least not for us. Our Arab neighbors were celebrating. The IDF had withdrawn from most of the city. The picture of the Col Gadi Shamni, then military commander of Judea, leaving the Hebron military headquarters, remains embedded in my memory. It was reminiscent of surrender. In reality, that's what it was.

Arafat's Hebron commander, a well-known terrorist named Jibril Rajoub, as he occupied those headquarters, declared that 'they had cast off an enormous weight, yet there still remained a yoke around their necks, which too would be shortly removed.'

For the record, it must be stated that, in essence, when Arafat signed the accords, he acknowledged the legitimacy of the Hebron Jewish community. But as we know, so much for signatures.

It wasn't as if we were blind to the results of this catastrophic agreement. We warned of the consequences, and we weren't wrong. Following outbreak of the "Olso war," aka 'the 2nd intifada, Hebron commander Noam Tibon was quoted as saying, in March 2001, "the Hebron Accords are a 'crappy' agreement." He was, of course, reprimanded by his boss, the current chief of staff of the IDF, Benny Ganz. But of course he was right. His description was an understatement. We were shot at for almost two and a half years from hills surrounding us, abandoned to Arafat.And let's not forget the terrorists who planned their murderous attacks in Hebron, and then perpetrated them throughout Israel. For example: The Jihad Soccer Club

Where does that leave us today? How can we learn from the past? Or, perhaps better asked, have we learned from the past?

The answer is a resounding no.

Yesterday I heard that former Likud minister Dan Meridor said that should the present 'peace talks' fail, Israel must decide on borders and again, unilaterally 'withdraw,' or in other words, retreat, abandon, etc.

Well, I guess Meridor's been hibernating since the abandonment of Gush Katif and missed the news of 13,000 rockets falling on Israel, ever since, including the five that were shot down over Ashkelon a few nights ago by the 'Iron Dome' anti-missile system.

But what about the others, who haven't been in a 'deep-sleep?' Like Netanyahu, for example.

Last night I attended an 'emergency meeting' called by members of the "Jewish Home" party, in Ofra, in the Benjamin district, just outside of Jerusalem. The meeting was called as a result of continuing negotiations to again divide our land. These talks are quite secretive; rumors abound, but no one really knows exactly what's being said behind closed doors. But the rumors are enough for concern. Grave concern.

I'd estimate that about 250 people attended, including leaders and members of numerous right-wing organizations. Also MKs, Rabbis and one deputy minister, Tzipi Hotovely, of the Likud and others.

Anyone attending was allowed to speak. All speakers were requested to talk about 'what we should do' and to keep it brief. Many ideas were suggested; not too many of them were new. Some were implemented in the past, others not.

But it's all been heard before. The last time, nine years ago, in attempts to prevent the expulsion from Gush Katif, and before that, prior to the division of Hebron, and back in 1993, trying to prevent Oslo. And of course, let's not forget the granddaddy of them all, the expulsion from Yamit in 1982, transfer and abandonment of the Sinai to Egypt.

1982 to 2014. Thirty two years. And we're still playing the same games, watching as our land is chopped up into pieces, discarded, while we, the people of Israel, are fed to hungry wolves.

That's what last night reminded me of. Not a bad dream. Rather a horrid sense of déjà vu. Been there, saw it, done it. The same threats, the same voices, the same suggestions, the same acts and deeds. And the same results.

Doesn't leave you feeling really good.

So, what's next? Good question. In truth, I have no idea. Anything can happen. I know that here in Hebron and around Hebron, violence is escalating on an almost daily basis.

Last night three Molotov cocktails were thrown at Beit Shneerson, right next to Beit Hadassah. Ditto last Friday, at Beit Kastel. Ditto a few days earlier at Beit Romano. Massive rock attacks, as we've witnessed before, on the road between Hebron and Jerusalem. Not too long ago, Israel soldiers literally stood and watched as Arabs pelted Israeli cars with huge stones. The reason for their inaction: they claimed that shooting 'live bullets' at stone-throwers is forbidden, and they didn't have 'rubber bullets.' The result: watching from the side as Arabs attempt to kill Jews.

This is about as absurd as it gets.

Well almost.

That fact that Israeli leaders are still seriously discussing further dissection of Eretz Yisrael is no less absurd.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Back in the 1960s an archeologist from the United States, Prof. Philip Hammond, from the Princeton Theological Seminary, excavated in Hebron, in the area call Tel Rumeida, during the summer months of 1964, 1965, and 1966. He discovered many interesting artifacts on the south eastern side of the Tel, including the remains of walls so large and so old, that he called them "Cycloptic walls."

Hammond's findings were later documented by Prof. Jeffrey Chadwick of the Brigham Young University in his doctoral thesis. (See: Discovering Hebron, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, BAR 31:05, Sep/Oct 2005).

Later excavations were continued by Dr. Avi Ofer, between the years 1984-1986. He discovered what was called one of the most important archaeological finds, a tablet with writing on it, from the era preceding Abraham, probably a list of animals, perhaps utilized for sacrifice.

In 1998, archologist Yuval Peleg literally fell into an underground room, near the present entrance into the neighborhood, where he discovered dozens of artifacts, including jars, jewelry, and other artifacts from the late Bronze era, that is, post-Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

However, perhaps the most astounding discoveries were those of Emmanuel Eisenberg, leading excavations for the Israeli Antiquities Department, in 1999. Among his finds were a 4,500 year old wall, that belonging to the early bronze era, which on a Biblical timeline is the time of Noah, and stairs, also over 4,000 years old, leading from the valley below into the ancient city of Hebron.

Eisenberg can also chalk up another amazing discovery: that of a home, 2,700 years old, from the time of King Hezekiah. In the vicinity of this home, also found were five seals, call 'the King seals,' bearing the impression of a bird, or a beetle, with the word 'lemelech' meaning 'belonging to the King, written above the impression, and the word 'Hebron' in ancient Hebron, below it. These seals were embedded on the bottom of handles on clay jars containing food, to be distributed to soldiers in the then Judean army, who were fighting a war against Sancheriv, who also invaded Hebron and burned it to the ground. Stone pillars discovered at the site are stained with patches of black, which Eisenberg determined were from the remains of the fire which burned down Hebron.

The 1999 excavations revealed artifacts from 4,500 years ago, to about 1,500 years ago. One of the time periods unaccounted for is that of 3,000 years ago, when David began his reign as King of Judea in Hebron, where he ruled for 7 and a half years, before ascending to Jerusalem, establishing it as the eternal capital of the Jewish people. The present understanding, was was explained to us by Eisenberg, is that most probably David founded the first City of David on the highest point of Tel Hebron, an area yet to be examined.

Until now. Until Sunday of this week. A few days ago Hebron joyfully greeted back Emmanuel Eisenberg, representing the Israeli Antiquities Agency, and Dr. David ben Shlomo from the Ariel University, who are jointly heading up renewed digging on Tel Hebron. The areas presently being excavated are labeled 'plots 52 and 53,' on the center-south-west section of Tel Hebron. The area is between 5 to 6 Dunam, that being some 1.5 acres or 6,000 sq. meters. The time needed to complete the excavation is dependent on the findings at the site, but it is possible that they could be completed by the end of this calendar year.

These renewed excavations are tremendously exciting. The thought of uncovering the original city of David, or even his palace, is mind-boggling. Why so? Hebron is the roots of Judaism, it is the roots of all of monotheism and I also call it the very beginnings of humanity. That being the beginning of the end of human sacrifice, with the belief of one G-d, a Deity rejecting killing of men, women and children as a means of worship. With Abraham, mankind starts to leave the barbarity of such acts and begins praying to one G-d. This is Abraham's legacy.

We repeat the words 'David Melech Yisrael, Chai v'Kayam - David, King of Israel, is alive and exists. Daily we pray for the renewal of the kingdom of David, the roots of which are in Hebron.

The significance of this is, not such much what was in the past, but who we are today, and where we are going in the future. I tell many of my guests in Hebron, I am not so amazed at the presence of Abraham, 3,700 years ago, but rather that we still live at the very site where we originated. How many peoples in world can say that, today, in 2014, they still live where they began, in our case, almost 4,000 years ago?

We are part of a chain, beginning with Abraham, continuing through David, and leading, over the centuries, to the present, a chain which will stretch thru eternity. In order to know who we are, what we are, and where we have the potential to reach, we must know where we are coming from. If you don't know your past, you have no idea which direction to go in, you get lost, not knowing where you are going.

Renewed revelation of Hebron's past will be as an arrow, pointing us in the right direction, as we continue to march thru the pages of history, an eternal people in an eternal land.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

MY SAY: THE PERSONS OF THE YEAR

There are so many persons of the year worthy of respect, admiration and support. In Israel the persons of the year are the Jewish residents of Hebron the biblical first capital of the Jewish people. In spite of hardship, danger, hostility from neighbors, a vile Western media, one sided “negotiations” and Israeli leftists…they remain and they persist. They continue that miraculous link between Abraham and Sarah that has made our survival as a people possible in spite of every effort to extinguish our faith. When David Wilder, the spokesmen for the Jewish community in Hebron speaks of his city, he does not cite the incoveniences and difficulties of daily life. He calls it a privilege to live there.

Monday, January 6, 2014

The impurity of Kerry

Ariel Sharon is dying. It's not considered nice to say bad things about dead people, especially immediately after their passing. So I'm writing this while he's still alive. Barely.

When I heard the news I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry. Laugh, that finally, he's leaving us. Or cry, because his 'this world' suffering is coming to an end.

That's how much I like Ariel Sharon. He had many positions, and many titles. I will remember him as a monster.

When elected to the office of Prime Minister in March, 2001, the 2nd Intifada, or what we call the Olso War, was well underway. Terror attacks, shootings, and the like had begun. In Hebron, Arab terrorists had taken positions on the hills surrounding the Jewish neighborhoods and were shooting at us like ducks in a pond. Great for target practice, but not when the targets are men, women and children, in their homes, cars, or just plain walking down the street.

Sharon could have stopped it. He didn't. It continued for almost a year and a half, here in Hebron. Only after the Passover Massacre in Netanya and the killing of five year old Danielle Shefi at Adura, just outside of Hebron, did he finally put an end to the nightmare. He was Prime Minister when most of the over 1,500 people murdered during that war. He could have stopped it. He didn't.

But that was just the beginning.

The expulsion from Gush Katif and the Northern Shomron, abandoning the southern tip of Israel to Hamas, brought over 13,000 rockets into Israel, into Ashkelon, Ashdod and Tel Aviv. To this very day.

Actually, it began with Menachem Began. He set the precedent, with Ariel Sharon as his right-hand man, implementing the expulsions from Sinai. There Sharon learned that it is possible to forcibly remove Jews from their homes, destroy Jewish communities and abandon land to our enemy.

It is written about Omri, an evil king: "Why did Omri, Ahab's father, receive the kingdom? For adding one city to Israel (Sanhedrin 102:B). 'Go and learn the strength of the Mitzvah of building a settlement in Eretz Israel, until even though it is said about him, "and Omri did evil in the sight of the L-rd and more that all of those before him" – despite this he was awarded the kingdom because, in the future, he was to build one city in Israel' (Maharsha).

An evil man was granted the kingdom in order to allow him to add a city to Israel, to buy land and make it a part of the state. What then is the punishment of people who remove cities from Israel, abandoning the land, expelling the people, endangering the population?

What happened to them, what was their fate: Begin, the hero of Jewish underground, the leader who destroyed the Iraqi nuclear threat, secluded himself for years following his resignation as Prime Minister, unseen until his dying day. Rabin was assassinated. Olmert, one of the primary initiators of the Gush Katif catastrophe, has undergone numerous trials on charges of corruption, facing disgrace. Katzav, who as President refused to oppose the Gush Katif expulsion, imprisoned following conviction for rape, from the president's mansion to a jail cell. Ariel Sharon, suffering the worst kind of hell, neither here nor there, not dead, not alive, for the past eight years. Some 8,600 people were expelled from the Gush, a year for every thousand people. And one can only image what he will face when trying to enter the pearly gates of heaven.

It is written that there is a 'place' somewhere between this world and the next, called in Hebrew "Kaf HaKelah." This is a kind of nether land – not here, not there. It is written that here, such souls who have so sinned in this world, float around, not being in this world, or the next, a kind of horrible limbo. Usually, for such deserving souls, this aspect of punishment happens following a person's death. In Sharon's case, it began here in this world.

There is a story, told now for years, about how a famous Rabbi cursed Ariel Sharon, saying he should receive a blow on his head. People approached the Rabbi and expressed their opposition to this curse. So, the Rabbi then blessed Sharon, saying, 'he should live a long life.'

It seems that both the 'curse' and the 'blessing' were achieved.

So what should this come to teach, what is the lesson for the future? This is what I ask the present Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, as he seems to be negotiating away our land, Eretz Yisrael. Be it Hebron or Shilo, Gitit in the Jordan Valley, or the Arab villages of the 'Mishulash, on the eastern Sharon plain, bordering Samaria. This is all our land. It is clear that, at present, there are at least two parallel sets of discussions going on; those led by Justice Minister Tzippy Livni and those being led by Netanyahu himself, seemingly with Abbas, aka Abu Mazen. The US is pushing, but Israel doesn't necessarily have to budge. That's up to us; it is up to our Prime Minister, Foreign Minister (who today came out publicly in favor of an agreement), and the Defense Minister. And the others.

What will be in store for them, what will be their fate, should they choose to walk in the footsteps of Ariel Sharon?

It is difficult to fathom their blindness, how and why they reach such depths of absurdity – to even speak of such concessions, of such abandonment, of such expulsions, again.

One thing is very clear: the United States, and in this case, the Secretary of State John Kerry, is pushing very hard, harder than any of his predecessors in recent history. We can only imagine the types of pressure he is applying on Netanyahu.

However, it should be known, the word 'Kerry' in Hebrew has a distinct meaning: impurity. It is a term utilized to express a tainted uncleanness, almost a defilement, of body and soul. This term quite accurately describes the American SoS. Sometimes, such scum can be contagious. It seems that, in this case, it is starting to rub off on others.

I can only say: Bibi beware. Don't fall into the potholes left to you by Sharon. And to the others, who can join him, or leave him, can support him or bring him down, your fate is too hanging in the balance. Purify yourselves from the contamination of Kerry. Before Sharon's miserable fate will almost look good to you.

About Me

David Wilder began working with the Jewish Community
of Hebron in 1994. He served as the English spokesman for the community for 21
years, granting newspaper, television and radio interviews internationally. He has
written hundreds of columns, posted on internet and appearing on websites and
in newspapers around the world. He
published a booklet of questions and answers about Hebron, titled, “Breaking the Lies.” Additionally he has acted in the capacity of community photographer
for over 17 years. He has published several ebooks of his photographs and
articles, available on Amazon. His blogs on the Jerusalem Post and at IsraelNational News have been read by over a half a million people.

Presently executive director of Eretz.Org, David represents
and assists several organizations, including the Neve Avraham ChildrenTreatment Center in Kiryat Arba-Hebron. He continues to conduct tours of
Hebron's Jewish Community and speaks to numerous groups in Hebron. He occasionally
travels abroad, speaking at various functions, explaining the true realities of
today's Israeli-Arab He is also a popular lecturer in Hebron, dealing with
diverse groups, including interfaith delegations, from around the world.

David Wilder has been in Israel for 40 years. He is
married to Ora, a ‘Sabra,’ for 36 years. They lived in Kiryat Arba for 17 years
and have resided at Beit Hadassah in Hebron for seventeen years. They have
seven children, five of whom are married and have many grandchildren.